Blake Lizotte

Blake Lizotte
Lizotte with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022
Born (1997-12-13) December 13, 1997 (age 27)
Lindstrom, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Pittsburgh Penguins
Los Angeles Kings
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2019–present

Blake Joseph Lizotte (born December 13, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings.

Playing career

After going undrafted out of high school, Lizotte played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Fargo Force from the 2015–16 season to the 2016–17 season. He then committed to play collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State University of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).[1]

In two seasons he helped lead the Huskies to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) regular-season championship in both years and helped secure the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. In his sophomore season in 2018–19, Lizotte ranked second on his team in points, tied for first in assists and fourth in goals. He was named to the NCHC First All-Star Team. Over the course of his two seasons in St. Cloud he tallied 69 points 76 games.[2]

After suffering a second consecutive early exit with the Huskies at the NCAA Tournament, Lizotte agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on April 2, 2019.[3] He immediately joined the Kings to conclude the 2018–19 season, making his debut in the Kings' season finale, a 5–2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on April 6, 2019.[4] Lizotte scored his first career NHL goal and added an assist in a 3–2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on November 9, 2019.[5]

After scoring 10 points and leading the Kings in plus-minus rating during the 2020-21 season, Lizotte agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract extension with the Kings on June 24, 2021.[6] He re-signed a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.675 million with the Kings on March 21, 2022.[7]

On July 1, 2024, Lizotte signed a two-year contract, worth an average $1.85 million annually, with the Pittsburgh Penguins.[8] He was injured in a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators on September 29; Penguins defenseman Kris Letang accidentally cleared the puck into his team's bench, and Lizotte was struck in the face. He sustained a concussion and missed a month of action, making his Penguins debut against the Anaheim Ducks on October 31.[9]

Personal life

Lizotte grew up in Lindstrom, Minnesota. His father, aged 45, died when Blake was 14 from complications of epilepsy, leaving his mother to raise him and his two brothers on her own.[10]

Lizotte is a Christian.[11] He is married to Abby Lizotte.[12]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Chisago Lakes High USHS 25 8 19 27 4 3 1 0 1 0
2013–14 Chisago Lakes High USHS 25 11 29 40 0 3 3 5 8 0
2014–15 Minot Minotauros NAHL 56 14 38 52 14 6 0 3 3 4
2015–16 Fargo Force USHL 54 12 34 46 26 — — — — —
2016–17 Fargo Force USHL 56 19 46 65 42 3 0 0 0 0
2017–18 St. Cloud State NCHC 39 8 19 27 20 — — — — —
2018–19 St. Cloud State NCHC 37 14 28 42 28 — — — — —
2018–19 Los Angeles Kings NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Los Angeles Kings NHL 65 6 17 23 20 — — — — —
2019–20 Ontario Reign AHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Los Angeles Kings NHL 41 3 7 10 16 — — — — —
2021–22 Los Angeles Kings NHL 70 10 14 24 28 7 0 1 1 16
2022–23 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81 11 23 34 70 3 0 0 0 2
2023–24 Los Angeles Kings NHL 62 7 8 15 20 5 1 0 1 2
NHL totals 320 37 69 106 154 15 1 1 2 20

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
NAHL
All-Central Rookie Team 2015
All-Central Team 2015
First All-Rookie Team 2015
Rookie of the Year 2015
USHL
Second All-Star Team 2017
College
NCHC All-Rookie Team 2018
NCHC All-Academic Team 2018
NCHC Scholar Athlete 2018
All-NCHC First Team 2019 [13]
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2019 [14]

References

  1. ^ Zupke, Curtis (April 2, 2019). "Blake Lizotte signs pro contract with Los Angeles Kings". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  2. ^ "SCSU players sign professional hockey contracts". St. Cloud Times. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  3. ^ "St. Cloud State Forward Blake Lizotte signs three-year entry level contract". Los Angeles Kings. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  4. ^ "Kovalchuk scores twice in 5-2 win over Golden Knights". ESPN. April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  5. ^ "Blake Lizotte Scores First NHL Goal". National Hockey League. November 11, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "LA Kings re-sign C Blake Lizotte to 1-year, $800,000 deal". apnews.com. June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  7. ^ "Kings sign forward Blake Lizotte to two-year, $3.35M contract". Sportsnet. March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "Penguins Sign Blake Lizotte to a Two-year Contract". July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Rorabaugh, Seth (October 31, 2024). "Forward Blake Lizotte makes Penguins debut after recovering from concussion". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  10. ^ "Kings rookie Lizotte overcame plenty of challenges to reach NHL". June 14, 2020.
  11. ^ Mercer, Kevin (April 25, 2024). "L.A. Kings' Blake Lizotte knows his 'identity is who I am in Christ' amid NHL playoffs". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "blizotte46". Instagram. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "SCSU, UMD DOMINATE 2018-19 NCHC ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS". Nchchockey.com. March 13, 2019. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  14. ^ "Total of 19 schools boast players on 2018-19 All-American selections". USCHO.com. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.